Bereaved mother wants to make skilled swimmers aware of rare drowning risk

Lost son to ‘shallow water blackout;’ an often fatal faint that can affect divers, competitive athletes

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

Water may be the most powerful natural element in the world, and no matter your proficiency, there should always be precautions taken

Various tragedies have taken place with skilled swimmers and divers, including in Cape Coral recently with a 21-yearold

Jonathan Wade Hurtley, a lifelong Marco Island resident, passed away last month due to what’s called Shallow Water Blackout Hurley, an avid swimmer who learned to swim independently at just 2 years old, had been engaged in a routine water workout in a gym pool, exercising his lung capacity on May 19. He didn’t have a spotter watching him, lost consciousness while under water, and never recovered On May 22, he passed away

According to officials with Shallow Water Blackout Prevention, a non-profit organization, SWB is an underwater “faint” due to a lack of oxygen to the brain brought on by holding your breath for long periods of time Without immediate rescue, the swimmer quickly drowns SWB is most common among physically fit swimmers, spear fishermen and free divers

Officials state most dangerous risks for SWB are repetitive, competitive prolonged breath-holding laps with little rest in between, especially if intentional or unintentional hyperventilation has occurred

“I have now learned that SWB is a silent killer There is no struggle,” said Jonathan’s mother, Michelle Hurtley “It often happens to the strongest swimmers that are trying to challenge their own abilities, which was certainly the case with Jonathan However, it also happens when kids are playing in the pool and trying to see who can swim farther without taking a breath By the third or fourth attempt at the game, the body stops reacting and the drive to take a breath disappears, and they pass out If someone doesn't notice immediately, it can be too late Seconds not minutes count with SWB ”

In Florida, oceans, rivers, lakes, pools, and other various bodies of water are easily accessible, prevention is the key to having a safe experience

The non-profit’s top prevention tips include: never hyperventilate, never ignore the urge to breathe, never swim alone, and to never play breath-holding games

“Never swim alone,” Hurtley urged “Especially if you are trying to challenge yourself I don’t mean to make sure just other people are around, like was the case with Jonathan I mean to make sure you have a spotter watching you specifically Jonathan had been an avid swimmer, swimming without assistance since he was 2 years old; but we had never heard of this ”

According to Shallow Water Blackout Prevention, SWB may be the leading cause of swimmer death

“The number of deaths that can be attributed to SWB is not fully known, as these deaths are often misdiagnosed as traditional drowning,” officials state “When coroners rule a SWB death as ‘drowning’ only, it masks the real problem of the prolonged breath-holding and the contributing factors of hyperventilation, competitive, and repetition Adding to the confusion, as mentioned above other causes besides drowning, can lead to death from breath-holding or hypoxia For this reason, SWB is not well known or understood by many of those who are most at risk ”

Drowning deaths in general happen at an alarming rate for Florida residents According to the CDC, Florida ranked fifth in the U S for unintentional drowning deaths with an ageadjusted rate of 2 2 per 100,000 population, behind Alaska (4.19), Hawaii (3.55), Montana (2.68), and Louisiana (2.52) for all ages in 2020 according to CDC national injury data

According to the Florida Department of Health, from 2018 to 2020 combined, Florida was ranked the highest in the U S for unintentional drowning death rate among children ages 1 to 4 years (6 24 per 100,000 population) FDOH states that Florida had the highest unintentional drowning death rate of 3 19 per 100,000 population among children younger than 9 years compared to other states according to CDC data Annually there are enough children under the age of 5 lost to drowning (50 in 2019, 60 in 2020, and 75 in 2021) to fill three or four preschool classrooms according to Florida CHARTS.

In addition, Florida was ranked third in the U S for unintentional drowning death rate (2 02 per 100,000 population) among children ages 0 to 17 years of age, behind Louisiana (2 77), and Oklahoma (2 2) in 2020, stated FDOH

For adults 18-plus, Florida was ranked forth in the U S for unintentional drowning death rate (2 38 per 100,000 population), behind Alaska (5 43), Hawaii (4 32), and Montana (3 53), during the same year

For more information on SWB, visit www shallowwaterblackoutprevention org

Donalds, Martin, to hold town hall in Fort Myers

Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) will hold Town Hall event at 6 p m on June 28 at Word of Life Church in Fort Myers

Also taking part will be State Sen Jonathan Martin (R- District 33 )

Donalds is hosting the event to “offer Fort Myers and the entire Southwest Florida community an update on legislative matters occurring on Capitol Hill ”

Town Hall attendees will ask questions, share their concerns, and learn of ways legislation on Capitol Hill will impact our coastal community

For those unable to attend in person, Donalds invites all constituents of Florida’s 19th Congressional District to tune in to the virtual broadcast of the event

Word of Life Church is at 6111 South Pointe Blvd